CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (29 Feb 2004) -- If the USS Oriskany isn't sunk offshore of Corpus Christi, the state will have a chance to get one of the 24 other Navy ships that are scheduled to be made into artificial reefs, state and Navy officials said. Two dozen ships - ranging in size from a 437-foot Charles F. Adams class missile cruiser to a 1,086-foot Forrestal class aircraft carrier - will likely be given away this year, said Pat Dolan, deputy director for congressional and Navy public affairs. Using military ships as artificial reefs has tourism benefits such as attracting scuba divers and improving fishing in the area. The ship becomes a home to a variety of fish, including some whose populations have declined because of overfishing, such as the red snapper. Among the ships that the Navy will reef are: a combat ship that brought provisions to other ships, five missile cruisers, three aircraft carriers, seven destroyers, seven missile ships and an amphibious support ship. The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department wants as many as it can get, said Paul Hammerschmidt, director of the artificial reef program for parks and wildlife. "I've been working with the Navy, the governor's office and with people in Brownsville because there are five ship-wrecking companies in the country; four of them are in Brownsville," Hammerschmidt said. "The Navy is certainly very interested in getting rid of these ships The Navy has appropriations for all of the cleanup, and we're authorized to spend a certain amount of money to reef each ship." Hammerschmidt is hoping to use the local advantage to convince the Navy it would be cheaper to reef the ships off Texas shores. Reef program is new The Navy has sunk ships before, but the reef program is new, starting with a Korean War-era aircraft carrier, the Oriskany, Dolan said. Unlike the sinking program, ships that become reefs will be closer to shore, and there's more preparation work done to the ship to keep divers safe and to make sure it's a suitable habitat for fish, Dolan said. The process of giving away the Oriskany began at the end of last year, and is taking longer than expected because it's the first time the Navy and Maritime Administration have gone through the process, Dolan said. The other ships will be gifted more quickly, Dolan said. Applications will be filed this summer, and the Maritime Administration could decide where to put the ships by the end of 2004 or early 2005, she said. Ship's fate unknown The Oriskany's destination will be determined by the Maritime Administration and the Navy later this month or by early March. Since Jan. 21, the Oriskany has been docked at Texas Docks & Rail while two civilian companies work to remove oily solvents from hundreds of compartments. Texas is competing with four other states, which all want to reef the Oriskany off their shores. | | Bigger is better: The 1,086-ft Forestal class aircraft carrier will dwarf the 888-ft USS Oriskany pictured here. A number of states are interested in the other ships, too, and not just coastal states. Smaller ships could also be reefed in the Great Lakes if they were taxied from coastal ports to the St. Lawrence seaway, which connects the Atlantic Ocean to Lake Erie. "A destroyer could make it through the locks on the St. Lawrence Seaway," Dolan said. "And those states have expressed an interest." But that still leaves three aircraft carriers in the Navy's reef program, all of which are Forrestal carriers, which can be up to 1,086 feet long. That's nearly one and quarter longer than the 888-foot Oriskany. One ship near all ports Hammerschmidt said he'd like to see at least one ship near every Texas port. He has already chosen Corpus Christi as the spot for the Oriskany, but hasn't decided which port city would get the other ships. The artificial reef program also got a boost recently when the parks and wildlife department decided a 600-foot section of the old bridge that goes over the Humble Channel will be plopped into 60-70 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico. The company repairing the John F. Kennedy Causeway agreed earlier this month to give the bridge section of the causeway to the reef program. If Corpus Christi gets a ship, Hammerschmidt said the economic effects could be very positive. If the Oriskany is accessible to divers, it could have an annual economic impact of $92 million, according to a report in November by the News-Journal in Pensacola, Fla., a newspaper in the city that is the birthplace of naval aviation. Pensacola is one of the communities competing for the Oriskany, and will likely be among the competitors for other ships, Hammerschmidt said. The difference that could sway the Navy is public opinion and local funds to help reef the ship. "We're always looking for community help in a financial way," Hammerschmidt said. "Donations from communities or individuals can also be earmarked for that area." SOURCE - Caller Times |
